Adams County Medical Examiner

A county board committee has passed, for a 3rd year, an intergovernmental agreement with Columbia County Medical Examiner to oversee the Adams County Medical Examiner's Office at a cost of $20,000.

Originally, this was to be a one year contract for the purpose of transitioning the Coroner's Office to a Medical Examiner's Office. This office has been run all year (2012) by local medical examiners whom are highly educated and trained. All death calls were handled by the Adams County local Medical Examiners.

The local Chief Deputy has been board certified by the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators (which requires extensive performance criteria, knowledge and testing). Both local medical examiners have been doing this job for the past 6 years.

We, the undersigned, call on the Adams County Board of Supervisors to not renew the Columbia County contract for medical examiner services for 2013.

The department has the capability- proven in past performance, references, and expertise- to be managed and run locally by past Medical Examiners Marilyn Rogers and Rebecca Koehn. We ask that they be reinstated to run the Medical Examiner department.

We feel paying $20,000 to Columbia County for their service is completely unnecessary.